Overview & Reviews

A relative newcomer to the American marketplace, Hyundai is a Korean automaker with a product line that has improved greatly over the past decade. Hyundai cars and SUVs provide a high level of content for an affordable price, and are currently backed by one of the industry's longest warranties.

In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company. Mere months later, the outfit was bombed in the Korean War. However, the company regained its footing to distinguish itself as one of Korea's leading construction enterprises during the 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to the automobile industry. The Korean government at that time believed that it made more sense to import vehicles than produce them domestically, and had made its opinion known. Still, Chung opted to follow his own convictions, and in 1967, he founded the Hyundai Motor Company.

The company quickly established an alliance with one of the industry's oldest automakers, signing a two-year contract with Ford in 1968 to share assembly technology. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was created from that partnership. The manufacturer's first car to be designed and built in Korea was the compact Pony (although the car was based on Japanese technology courtesy of Mitsubishi). The vehicle made its debut in 1974, and the following year Hyundai began exporting it to overseas markets.

Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. The car was an immediate hit, with its supreme affordability being a primary selling point. More than 100,000 Excels were sold stateside in the first seven months. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technology. The midsize Sonata was the first fruit borne of this endeavor.

Unfortunately, Hyundai's nascent image was soon tarnished by the poor durability and reliability of its vehicles. Sales tanked. However, rather than abandon the American market in the '90s, Hyundai chose to invest heavily in new product designs and improvements in overall quality and reliability. In 1998, Hyundai also purchased Kia, another Korean automaker, to expand its business and economies of scale.

It all started to pay off by the start of the new millennium, with the 2001 Elantra in particular showing massive improvements in overall quality, reliability and performance. Other models followed suit and the desirability of Hyundai cars increased sharply. Providing an extraordinarily long warranty period didn't hurt either.

Today's lineup is indicative of Hyundai's complete turnaround. Hyundai has a vehicle for nearly every segment, including the economical Accent subcompact, the popular Elantra compact, the midsize Sonata sedan (also available as a hybrid), sporty Genesis and Veloster coupes and a couple of stylish SUVs. Hyundai has also expanded into the entry-level and premium-level luxury sedan markets with its Genesis and Equus sedans. Having gone from being the butt of late-night TV jokes in the 1980s to a well-respected manufacturer of quality vehicles, Hyundai has created a very inspiring rags-to-riches story.

User Reviews:

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  One week rental with a Sonata SE - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By David Myers - October 24 - 7:46 pm

  We have a car in the shop, so Ive been driving this for a week. I like it - maybe not enough to buy one in this configuration, but I do like the car very much. Its very quiet. It seems to be getting better than 25mpg in reasonably spirited driving. For a 180ish HP engine, I have not felt like there was not enough power at any time - even in the Eco mode of the transmission, which has three modes plus fully manual shifting (1 - 6th gear). The Bluetooth works well from the limited use it has gotten - it will read my text messages on my Windows 8.1 device - this is a HUGE plus for me. I am sorry that the XM trial has expired, I wouldve liked to judge the quality of the reception. Overall the radio is just OK - kind of tinny and the radio display shows you the radio station (105.1 for example) and nothing else. Maybe XM provides more info, I couldnt test it... It seems really big inside, and it is very comfortable. Ive been a fan of the trip computer with two trip odometers, and all of the user-settable configurations for the lights, sounds, language, etc. Tire pressure info for all four tires is handy to have. I really appreciate the auto-off headlights, even in the lowest trim and Ive just turned them on and forgot about them - the gauges are still perfectly legible with the headlights on all the time. I appreciated the holder for sunglasses, even in this base car. The Air Conditioning seems to be super effective too. If you unlock the car with the remote, and dont open a door within 90 seconds or so, the doors lock again - I like that. Big trunk, lots of space. The back seats fold down too, but I havent played with those at all. The rear doors open way up - great for access, and potentially an easy in/out for a kid in a car seat, but I didnt install one while I had it. What didnt I like? The looks are a bit too angular for me, I liked the way the previous model looked. The radio was marginal. The base sedan must have cheap tires, because this rental with only 21K on the clock already had mis-matched tires on it. No compass in this model, thats a bummer. I would really like fully automatic headlights, but that was not a reality in this model. Overall, I think that this is an honest competitor for the Camrys, Altimas and Accords of the world. Im glad that I rented one for a week, and if this is seriously on your shopping list, I think that maybe youd be wise to do the same, and see if you like it as much as I did.

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  A Challenge to the Japanese - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By roe1 - October 24 - 1:06 pm

  A superbly-engineered vehicle with a full range of accessories, comfort, and power for less than $23,000.

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  Nice car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tiburon_Buyer - October 24 - 10:00 am

  Just bought one today. Runs like a charm.

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  Great value for the money - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Andreamarie - October 24 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my red 2002 LX (fully loaded) since November, and its been nothing but a positive experience. I highly recommend getting the LX: the leather seats have been very durable, despite the abuse they have taken my two dogs. In fact, the seats still look brand new! Even our New Beetles leather seats looked shabby after a month or two. I still get a kick out of people staring at my car! Also note that although the outside styling is very different with this model, the engine has not been remodified too much, which cuts down on the risk unexpected suprises. This was a big selling point for me.

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  Excellent for small family - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By sean - October 24 - 9:53 am

  I bought this as my parents had a Hyundai Santa Fe. It seemed more economical and sporty and it was my 1st SUV. Reliability has been great and very few services (non-standard) necessary. The car is only 2 years old and the armrest has broken due to the cold. Unfortunately the cost is over $300 to replace it. The horn definitely needed to be upgraded. And finally, who still listens to cassettes anymore?

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  tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jtr - October 24 - 8:16 am

  With 3000 miles under its belt, the tucson is our favotite over our Lexus 300GT. Styling is the best in category, but still weak and overall guality is excellent. A great buy for the money!

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  This is where its at! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mr.Wright - October 24 - 2:00 am

  Great car! Lots of Bang for your buck. By far the best value, many extra features.

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  09 Santa Fe SE - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Randy Miller - October 23 - 1:16 pm

  One month in - No gripes. Reviews about lag in trans depend on how you drive. Easy driving - no lag, Hard accel - initial lag at downshift with quick recovery. Firm ride but smooth. Good features for $$. Concern about warranty - saw something about only good at dealership where purchased, but havent confirmed. Compared to Toyota, Honda, Kia, Nissan before purchase and felt Hyundai was "best value". Dealer wasnt eager to lower price due to demand caused by $4clunkers, but still managed to get below TMV price. So far - so good. Features are nice & easy to use. Good layout. Seat slightly firm, but OK on first 300 mile road trip. Seems to be good value for the money.

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  Fun sport car and great MPG vehicle!! - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By edumorales - October 23 - 2:06 am

  I bought this car back in April with 68,000 miles. . I am the second owner of the vehicle. So far, I am very satisfied with its performance, both in highway and city. It is a very fun to drive and very powerful for its 4 cylinder engine (I drive the 5 speed transmission). When it comes to mpg performance, it varies by fuel brand and driving conditions, like weather altitude, etc. I drive from Chino to Moreno Valley, California on a daily basis, and occasionally to the Los Angeles and San Diego area. Vehicle definitely performs better when driving close to those cities at sea level, and obtains better mpg under those conditions. After seven months, all I can say is that this is a great car!!

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  silver bullit - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By patrick nugent - October 23 - 2:00 am

  i love my accent.the is built with the highest quality.the fuel economy exceeded my expectations.also for a 4 cylinder it has surprising power.